Undersökning av postkvantkryptografi i resursbegränsade nätverksanslutna inbyggda system : En fallstudie om hybridimplementering av TLS 1.3 för infrastrukturinspektion med UAV:er
The advent of quantum computing threatens classical cryptographic protocols, necessitating urgent adoption of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). However, deploying PQC algorithms for key encapsulation and digital signing in real-world resource-constrained embedded systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) might not be feasible. While existing research benchmarks PQC in controlled environments, its real-world feasibility in UAVs is unverified. This thesis addresses this gap by investigating the computational and operational impact of hybrid PQC protocols on UAV-based critical infrastructure detection system ICARUS. Current systems rely on classical algorithms like Elliptic-Curve Diffie–Hellman (ECDH) and Elliptic-Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), which are vulnerable to quantum attacks. Despite NIST’s standardization of PQC algorithms, their integration into UAVs is hindered by uncertainties about performance resource trade-offs. This work tackles these challenges by proposing a Hybrid TLS 1.3 Protocol combining Module-Lattice-based Key Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM), Module-Lattice-based Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA) and classical ECDH/ECDSA. The methodology integrates this hybrid model into ICARUS, a UAV application for power infrastructure inspection, using NVIDIA Jetson boards as clients and a multithreaded ground station server. For evaluation, real-world performance metrics were collected, including session establishment time, encryption and signing latency and throughput, transmission speed, round-trip time (RTT), message size, CPU and GPU utilization, RAM usage, and power consumption. These metrics were assessed under emulated infrastructure inspection scenarios while varying the security level of the ML-KEM Kyber algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate that it is indeed feasible to integrate post-quantum cryptography (PQC) into the ICARUS system without introducing significant additional hardware overhead. However, incorporating PQC into the TLS 1.3 protocol leads to a noticeable decrease in transmission speed, on average a 3.65× slowdown for sending and 3.75× for receiving, increasing as security levels increase. These findings support the viability of hybrid PQC deployment in UAVs, with Kyber and Dilithium emerging as suitable option for the ICARUS system, offering a favorable balance between security and performance. By quantifying the trade-offs between cryptographic strength and system performance, this thesis provides empirical evidence that can guide future efforts toward resource-efficient post-quantum implementations in embedded and autonomous systems.
The advent of quantum computing threatens classical cryptographic protocols, necessitating urgent adoption of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). However, deploying PQC algorithms for key encapsulation and digital signing in real-world resource-constrained embedded systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) might not be feasible. While existing research benchmarks PQC in controlled environments, its real-world feasibility in UAVs is unverified. This thesis addresses this gap by investigating the computational and operational impact of hybrid PQC protocols on UAV-based critical infrastructure detection system ICARUS. Current systems rely on classical algorithms like Elliptic-Curve Diffie–Hellman (ECDH) and Elliptic-Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), which are vulnerable to quantum attacks. Despite NIST’s standardization of PQC algorithms, their integration into UAVs is hindered by uncertainties about performance resource trade-offs. This work tackles these challenges by proposing a Hybrid TLS 1.3 Protocol combining Module-Lattice-based Key Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM), Module-Lattice-based Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA) and classical ECDH/ECDSA. The methodology integrates this hybrid model into ICARUS, a UAV application for power infrastructure inspection, using NVIDIA Jetson boards as clients and a multithreaded ground station server. For evaluation, real-world performance metrics were collected, including session establishment time, encryption and signing latency and throughput, transmission speed, round-trip time (RTT), message size, CPU and GPU utilization, RAM usage, and power consumption. These metrics were assessed under emulated infrastructure inspection scenarios while varying the security level of the ML-KEM Kyber algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate that it is indeed feasible to integrate post-quantum cryptography (PQC) into the ICARUS system without introducing significant additional hardware overhead. However, incorporating PQC into the TLS 1.3 protocol leads to a noticeable decrease in transmission speed, on average a 3.65× slowdown for sending and 3.75× for receiving, increasing as security levels increase. These findings support the viability of hybrid PQC deployment in UAVs, with Kyber and Dilithium emerging as suitable option for the ICARUS system, offering a favorable balance between security and performance. By quantifying the trade-offs between cryptographic strength and system performance, this thesis provides empirical evidence that can guide future efforts toward resource-efficient post-quantum implementations in embedded and autonomous systems.
The advent of cryptographically relevant quantum computers poses a fundamental threat to classical public-key cryptography. This poster examines whether NIST-standardised post-quantum cryptography (PQC) can be deployed on resource-constrained embedded platforms via a hybrid TLS 1.3 design. We implement and evaluate a complete system combining ML-KEM (Kyber) key encapsulation with ML-DSA (Dilithium) digital signatures atop standard TLS 1.3 on an NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX within a UAV-based infrastructure inspection scenario.
The emergence of large-scale quantum computing presents an imminent threat to contemporary public-key cryptosystems, with quantum algorithms such as Shor’s algorithm capable of efficiently breaking RSA and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). This vulnerability has catalyzed accelerated standardization efforts for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and global security stakeholders. While theoretical security analysis of these quantum-resistant algorithms has advanced considerably, comprehensive real-world performance benchmarks spanning diverse computing environments—from high-performance cloud infrastructure to severely resource-constrained IoT devices—remain insufficient for informed deployment planning. This paper presents the most extensive cross-platform empirical evaluation to date of NIST-selected PQC algorithms, including CRYSTALS-Kyber and NTRU for key encapsulation mechanisms (KEMs), alongside BIKE as a code-based alternative, and CRYSTALS-Dilithium and Falcon for digital signatures. Our systematic benchmarking framework measures computational latency, memory utilization, key sizes, and protocol overhead across multiple security levels (NIST Levels 1, 3, and 5) in three distinct hardware environments and various network conditions. Results demonstrate that contemporary server architectures can implement these algorithms with negligible performance impact (<5% additional latency), making immediate adoption feasible for cloud services. In contrast, resource-constrained devices experience more significant overhead, with computational demands varying by up to 12× between algorithms at equivalent security levels, highlighting the importance of algorithm selection for edge deployments. Beyond standalone algorithm performance, we analyze integration challenges within existing security protocols, revealing that naive implementation of PQC in TLS 1.3 can increase handshake size by up to 7× compared to classical approaches. To address this, we propose and evaluate three optimization strategies that reduce bandwidth requirements by 40–60% without compromising security guarantees. Our investigation further encompasses memory-constrained implementation techniques, side-channel resistance measures, and hybrid classical-quantum approaches for transitional deployments. Based on these comprehensive findings, we present a risk-based migration framework and algorithm selection guidelines tailored to specific use cases, including financial transactions, secure firmware updates, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, and IoT fleet management. This practical roadmap enables organizations to strategically prioritize systems for quantum-resistant upgrades based on data sensitivity, resource constraints, and technical feasibility. Our results conclusively demonstrate that PQC is deployment-ready for most applications, provided that implementations are carefully optimized for the specific performance characteristics and security requirements of target environments. We also identify several remaining research challenges for the community, including further optimization for ultra-constrained devices, standardization of hybrid schemes, and hardware acceleration opportunities.
ABSTRACT This paper presents a simulation- and model-based study — all results are derived from validated simulation frameworks rather than physical hardware measurements — of the post-quantum migration of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command-and-control links. The advent of cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) fundamentally threatens the security of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), particularly command and control links that rely on classical public-key cryptography. Compounded by "harvest now, decrypt later” strategies, this necessitates a proactive transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). We develop a quantum threat model for UAV communications and evaluates a migration pathway anchored by the NIST-standardized ML-KEM (Kyber) algorithm. We model and benchmark ML-KEM on a simulated ARM Cortex-M4-class flight controller plat-form, analysing computational performance, memory footprint, energy consumption, and real-time scheduling behaviour. Results demonstrate that ML-KEM-768 encapsulation reduces latency by approximately 39% compared to elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman, while a hybrid ECDH+ML-KEM-768 configuration introduces moderate computational and memory overhead. However, the substantial increase in ciphertext size creates critical fragmentation bottlenecks on low-bandwidth telemetry links such as LoRa, motivating a proposed symmetric key derivation architecture for bandwidth-efficient rekeying. Side-channel analysis under an idealised leakage model confirms susceptibility to correlation power analysis, highlighting the necessity for hardened implementations. Furthermore, real-time operating system scheduling simulations under a two-task discrete-event model reveal that naive task co-scheduling induces significant jitter, necessitating strict priority isolation to maintain flight controller determinism. These findings establish simulation-grounded guidance for integrating PQC into resource-constrained UAV platforms without compromising real-time performance or communication reliability.
The seamless integration of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) into public airspace necessitates a robust UAV Traffic Management (UTM) system. Information security in communications plays a pivotal role in ensuring the operational safety of the UTM. Maintaining the integrity and authentication of unicast communications, such as command and video information, is imperative to thwart tampering and impersonation. Encryption emerges as an optimal solution for safeguarding such data. Efficient utilization of symmetrical encryption mandates the imple-mentation of secure key exchange mechanisms. However, intro-ducingAuthenticated Key Exchange (AKE) standards on diminutive Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) encounters problems due to hardware limitations. To surmount this challenge, lightweight cryptographic algorithms tailored for resource-constrained hard-ware have been developed. Nonetheless, both lightweight and conventional cryptographic algorithms are susceptible to quantum computing threats. In response, post-quantum cryptographic primitives are undergoing standardization. This study assesses post-quantumKey Encapsulation Mechanism (KEM) candidates, namely CRYSTALS-Kyber, Hamming Quasi-Cyclic (HQC), and BIKE, on hardware resembling small UAVs. The evaluation of these algorithms focuses on computation time, considering real-time tasks during flights. The findings affirm the viability of employing unmodified standards on resource-constrained hardware concurrently with other priority tasks. Furthermore, quantum-vulnerable standards are also investigated to compare their performance against their more secure counterparts. All three post-quantum KEM candidates demonstrate usability in this environment, with CRYSTALS-Kyber being recommended for its superior performance, even surpassing certain prevailing standards.
The rapid advancement of quantum technology brings significant trouble to the public key encryption standards used presently. Traditional cryptographic algorithms rely on the complexity of a specific number of theoretical problems, but the computational capabilities of large-scale quantum computers would swiftly compromise these specific mathematics-based cryptographic algorithms. These quantum technology-based computers consist of millions of qubits which can enable them to damage nearly all modern public-key cryptographic systems. This security issue is particularly concerning Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which typically have limited resources and are thus more susceptible to emerging threats from quantum computing. To address this concern, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has started the process of standardizing Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). In this paper, a detailed taxonomy of lightweight PQC algorithms are presented. The performance analysis of NIST Round 3 finalist (CRYSTALS-Kyber, SABER, NTRU and NTRU Encrypt) is done on a real Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) environment. The performance of these algorithms is analyzed with respect to the ten essential metrics such as throughput, latency, power consumption, energy consumption, memory usage, clock cycles, etc., for different payloads. The experimental results for each performance metrics is plotted individually for better analysis. The experimental result show that the SABER cipher outperforms other post-quantum ciphers.
The first comprehensive framework for deploying NIST-standardized post-quantum cryptography in military UAV systems, bridging the critical gap between theoretical PQC algorithms and practical implementation on resource-constrained drone platforms. We provide rigorous mathematical security proofs for lattice-based schemes (Kyber, Dilithium, Falcon, SPHINCS+) tailored to MAVLink protocol requirements, extensive performance benchmarking demonstrating <1% operational overhead on embedded military hardware, and four complete implementation architectures with working code. Our NATO-compliant security frameworks integrate STANAG requirements with PQC mandates—addressing a gap in existing civilian-focused literature. We validate our approach through an MQ-9 Reaper retrofit case study achieving zero mission degradation, providing the defense community with an actionable roadmap for transitioning military UAV fleets to quantum resistance before cryptographically-relevant quantum computers emerge (projected 2028-2033).